Heidelberg

A 9-page city travel guide with related articles and photos.

ABOVE:
Heidelberg Castle overlooks the old
town, where a stone bridge crosses the Neckar River.

By Durant Imboden

Heidelberg,
Germanyhas a long history of welcoming
English-speaking travelers--among them, Mark Twain, who spent several months in Heidelberg with his
family in 1878 and described the experience in
A Tramp Abroad.

Thanks to a long history of Anglo-Saxon infatuation with
Heidelberg, the city was off-limits to Allied bombing in World War II--which is why
you'll still see heavy, historic buildings of red sandstone in the Altstadt
or Old Town. These buildings are genuinely old, not restored or rebuilt from
ruins.

Heidelberg's attractions include a romantic castle, Germany's
oldest university, a hillside "Philosopher's Walk," boat trips on the Neckar
River, and countless taverns, cafés, and restaurants where you can sample local
wines and the comfort-food gastronomy of Germany's Palatinate (now incorporated
into the state of Baden-Württemburg, which lies in Southwestern Germany near
Switzerland and France). Heidelberg is easily worth a visit of several days--or,
better yet, a week--and because English is widely spoken in the town, it's a
great place for first-time visitors to Germany who aren't comfortable with the
language of Goethe, Heine, and Run
Lola Run.

If you live outside the EU, a tax-free Renault or Peugeot tourist car lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of three weeks or longer. Minimum driver age is 18, there' s no upper age limit, and rates include insurance.